AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
119 
BUSHY" PLANTS FOR SINGLE SPECIMENS-ANNUALS. 
Mignonette, 23 ; Cockscomh, 27 ; Balsam, 29 ; 
Bartonia, 36 ; Zinnia, 37; Marvel of Peru, 39 ; 
Schizant'nus, 50. These grow somewhat large 
and do best as single plants or in rows about two 
feet apart and one foot distant in the row. They 
are all hardy annuals and maybe sown the latter 
part of April, or as soon as the ground is dry and 
warm in the Spring. The seed may be sown 
where the plants are to remain, or closely together 
in a bed to be transplanted afterward. None of 
them mix or hybridize, and they may be mingled 
together to give variety. The descriptions on 
page 21 will enable any one to arrange them to 
the best advantage. 
BIENNIAL AND PERENNIAL PLANTS. 
Sweet William, 38, is a beautiful flower of 
variously mixed shades of color. It is a peren¬ 
nial and blooms for many years, beginning with 
the second year from planting. Fox Glove, 42, 
is biennial, blooming the second year (not the 
first), and sometimes the third year and longer. 
Bolh of these may be sown somewhat thickly as 
soon as the ground is dry and warm, and fter- 
ward transplant to about one foot apart during 
the season, or early the following Spring. 
GROUPING OR SEMI-GROUPING ANNUALS. 
Larkspur, 28 ; Chinese Pink, 30; Tassel Flower, 
31 ; Asters, 34, 35 ; Eschscholtzia, 40 ; Clarkia, 
41; Lavateras, 43, 44; Lupins, 46; Flos Adonis, 
48. Each of these are usually grown in groups, 
though they may stand as single specimens or be 
interspersed with the other classes. They are all 
hardy annuals of moderate size, and may be sown 
from the last of April to the middle of May in 
this latitude. It is usually best to sow the seed 
where the plants are to remain. Put them in 
rows about one foot apart, and if to grow singly, 
thin out to about six inches from plant to plant in 
the row. 
MASSING OR BEDDING ANNUALS. 
Nemophilla, 26 ; Portulacca, 32 ; Candytuft, 49 : 
Phlox Drummondii, 51. These four are dwarfs 
in size and are adapted to growing in clusters or 
masses. The seeds sent out by us are of 
various colored flowers mixed. The four kinds, 
or two or three of them, mixed and sown some¬ 
what thickly, form beautiful groups. When seed 
IS to be saved the plants should be grown separ¬ 
ately. 
A Good Seed Bed- 
Almost as much depends upon, this, in rearing 
plants, as upon having milk, for the young of 
the mammalia. The products of the garden are 
better than those of the field, mainly, because of 
the greater attention paid to the seed bed. It is 
made deeper, richer and finer, three prime quali¬ 
ties in good cultivation. Where the soil is made 
very fine by a long toothed garden rake, the plant 
f@od is evenly distributed through the whole mass. 
The first root that puts forth from the germinating 
seed comes into immediate contact with its ap¬ 
propriate aliment, in a diluted state. It is fed on 
milk, and not on strong meat, as is too often the 
case in field culture, where unbroken lumps of 
manure come in contact with the seed, and de¬ 
stroy it. The fineness and looseness of the bed 
too, facilitates rapid growth. There is no energy 
of the plant wasted in pushing its roots through 
hard clods. The roots run out rapidly in all di¬ 
rections, making new mouths, and drinking in 
constantly larger supplies of food as they go. 
Nothing pays better, in field or garden culture 
than labor bestowed upon the seed bed. The har¬ 
owing and the cultivating after the plowing pay 
as well as the plowing. We want more disinte¬ 
gration of the soil. 
- $ <* » — -■■■■ 
Gardening for the Ladies- 
We wish to say a few words, this month, to our 
lady readers about gardening. As we have looked 
into your houses the past Winter, we have noticed 
your attempts to make home cheerful by cultivat¬ 
ing a few house-plants. Some of you have had the 
skill and good fortune to make a’fine show ; others 
have succeeded but indifferently. The verbenas 
would dry up, or damp off; The geraniums would 
drop their yellow leaves and look scrawny; the 
roses were covered with insects, and would not 
bloom. You have almost begun to lose faith in 
gardening. But we will say nothing more at pre¬ 
sent on that point, except to refer you to some 
suggestions on the care of house-plants, in an¬ 
other column. Spring is now opening, and you 
will undoubtedly succeed better in out-door oper¬ 
ations. Light, air, moisture and temperature are 
better regulated by nature than we can manage 
them. 
Our little sermon to you, now, is suggested by 
the sight of the early bulbs just peeping up in the 
warm border on the south side of our dwelling. 
The snowdrop and crocus are beginning to show 
their blossom buds ; and the daffodils, hyacinths, 
and tulips are coming up, ready to flower in their 
turn. And yet, not far away are snow banks. 
Why should not this sheltered spot be, as it is, 
one of our family pets ! Here Spring shows her¬ 
self first, and here Autumn lingers latest. We 
therefore advise you to seek out a warm corner 
like this, under a high, tight fence, or a wall, or 
the protected side of your house, and make a bed 
there for early bulbs. In this neighborhood, also, 
it might be well to put a few early shrubs, such as 
Mezereon, Japan Quince, and Flowering Almond ; 
and these might be planted now. It is too late, 
however, to set out bulbs for Spring flowering ; 
but now, while your mind is upon it, secure the 
spot for planting in the Fall. Such a spot as this 
is an excellent one, also, for setting out late 
flowering plants, which would be injured by the 
frosts of Autumn, if growing in the open garden. 
Last Fall, we had Chinese Chrysanthemums flow¬ 
ering in our border, after nearly every plant in 
other situations had been killed by the cold. 
Now is the time, also, to prepare for improve¬ 
ments in your grounds at large. Have you a 
front yard! Trim up those lilacs, prune out 
the dead branches of those rose-bushes, and tie 
up the remainder to neat stakes. Persuade hus¬ 
band or brother to hoe out the weeds from the 
walks, and to dig up all thistles and foul-stuffs 
from the grass-plat. A little pure grass-seed and 
white clover scattered over the ground will do no 
harm, especially if a light dressing of old com¬ 
post is added, and the whole is raked off smooth 
and neat. Of course, you want some flowers in 
your front-yard. But we would not advise you 
to set out herbaceous perennials there, or to sow 
annuals. The latter are a long while coming into 
bloom, and the former, as soon as they have 
flowered, begin to die down and to look shabby. 
Set this kind of flowers in a garden by themselves, 
a little aside from your front lawn. But prepare a 
border by the side of your walks, in the front of the 
house, for such plants as bloom all the season, and 
whose foliage is always fresh. Or, in place of a 
formal border, cut out circular beds (or those of 
any fanciful shape), in the grass near the walks, 
and fill them with the plants last mentioned. Of 
these, the best are verbenas, petunias, scar¬ 
let geraniums, heliotropes, lantanas, pyrethrum, 
&c. Any or all of these can be got at low rates, 
of the florists in your neighborhod. Their per-1 
petual bioom will repay well all their cost. Yoa 
can exercise much skill and taste in arranging 
colors. Blue contrasts finely with white : orange 
with purple ; white with pink, scarlet, &c., &c. 
But why should we attempt to teach ladies anything 
about the arrangement of colors! They will, 
however, let us advise them to keep the grass ol 
the lawn shaven smooth all Summer, in order to 
get the full beauty of this style of gardening. 
-■* --—--- 
American Pomological Society. 
The seventh session of this Society will be held 
in New-York City, opening on the 14th day of 
September next. From the central location of 
the meeting and the increased interest in the ob¬ 
jects this society aims to promote, the next ses¬ 
sion is likely to be the most largely attended, and 
the most interesting of any yet held. 
Care of House Plants. 
Sometimes house plants are cared for too 
much. They are nursed to death by over-water¬ 
ing, over-heating, and over-handling. Plants hous¬ 
ed only to keep them over Winter, need little light, 
heat or water. They want to sleep after the activity 
of the preceding Summer. All they need is to 
be kept in a dormant state, just above the freezing 
point. Plants housed for flowering in Winter 
must have plenty of light, fresh air, water at the 
root and on the leaf, and a proper degree of heat. 
Their condition should be made as near as possi¬ 
ble like their state in Summer It is of funda 
mental importance that, in potting them, they 
should have good drainage—say one-fifth the con 
tents of the pot. Then any accidental excess o/ 
water will pass off. When growing rapidly, they 
should be watered freely. But the very best con¬ 
dition of the soil, in this respect, is that of moist¬ 
ure, without absolute wetness. It is almost as 
important to keep the leaves clean, by syringing, 
or sprinkling them, as to keep the roots moist. 
The unnatural dryness of most parlors and living- 
rooms shrivels the leaves, and the dust and smoke 
clog up their thousand pores. Hence, the impor¬ 
tance of a daily sprinkling. 
Give them also plenty of light. Curtains within 
and trees without, are an evil. Set the pots di¬ 
rectly before the window, and as near to it as pos¬ 
sible. Turn them around every few days, so 
that the foliage may grow symmetrical and healthy 
on every side 
Don’t bake them. Plants are oftener injured 
by too hot than too cold rooms. The heat of fur¬ 
naces and stoves, especially those in which anthra¬ 
cite coal is burned, is very concentrated and dry ; 
and this added to the high temperature of most 
parlors, is more than plants can well endure. A 
room adjoining a heated apartment is better 
than the apartment itself. A temperature rang¬ 
ing from 50° by night, to 65° by day, will an¬ 
swer for most plants* And fresh air admitted on 
mild days is of great importance. 
Look out for insects. If you have only a few 
plants, they may be kept clean by picking off the 
insects with thumb and finger. If you have seve¬ 
ral shelves or tables full, take a half dozen pots 
at a time, set them in a row on the floor, putting 
a saucer of smoking tobacco among them, fire the 
tobacco, and then set a box over the whole. In 
ten or fifteen minutes, every insect will be dead, 
or so well drugged that they can be easily brushed 
off the leaves. In this away, a large collecitou 
of plants can shortly be cleaned. 
